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Image branding is a means of marketing who you are, what you do, and how you do it. It’s used to communicate your qualities and characteristics to your market. As it pertains to visual media, your logo, website, photographs, and social media should all have the same look and feel. They should use the same colors, graphics and fonts without deviation. Consistency and continuity is the key.

So now that you know what it is, why should you be interested? The answer is that in the modeling industry proper image branding can lead to more income working fewer hours. If you project yourself as a high end model you’re more likely to attract high end opportunities. And best of all, because your target market may view your images on nearly a daily basis, proper branding can transform your business almost overnight. I’ve seen this happen on several occasions, one of which I’d like to share as a case study.

A while back a prospective client contacted me with interest in a photo shoot. During our initial phone consultation she discussed how she’s making a decent living but wanted to “up her game” and maximize her earning potential for as long as she remains in the industry. To do this she needed an image makeover. From talking to her I recognized and respected her business savvy, so naturally I was eager to help her realize her ambition.

As a business person she recognized the importance of differentiation and wanted to brand herself as an upscale, highly professional model. By doing so she understood she would appeal to a higher end prospect, with a higher end budget. To that end she needed new, professionally captured photographs. While her current portfolio was a reasonable representation of her, they lacked the lighting, style and polish that only a professional glamour photographer could offer. She had taken the initial step and hired a photographer to create her first portfolio; now she would augment her imagery by hiring me to create a high end professional portfolio.

Armed with a much improved portfolio, better marketing, and consistent branding her bookings rapidly improved. Over a year later her business is stronger than ever, earning greater income in fewer hours.

This case study exhibits the power of proper image branding. By re-branding yourself, you can improve your product positioning to attract the right prospects at the right rate. Branding is a staple principle of marketing, it applies to all industries, yours and mine included.